


We're Going to be Okay

by sarahsharpiemarker



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Miscarriage, My First Work in This Fandom, Pregnancy, Riza and Roy are super briefly mentioned, Sad, Same with Alphonse, Seriously sad as heck, central - Freeform, warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 14:39:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9276413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahsharpiemarker/pseuds/sarahsharpiemarker
Summary: “Winry, what is going on?” Edward asked urgently, his panic growing. He knew all about the human body, he knew exactly what made up a human. He knew how much blood there was in the average human. Yet seeing this blood spilled across the sheets seemed impossible. How could this much blood come from one person?





	

Edward woke up to summer sun shining through the windows in his west-facing bedroom. As spring turned into summer, the sun rose earlier and earlier and the weather turned humid and hot. It wouldn’t be long before school would let out, and the street would be full of playing children. 

Edward stretched and sat up in bed, mouth widening with a yawn. He could tell that despite the sunlight, it was very early. He rubbed sleep out of his eyes and looked toward the clock. It wasn’t even six o’clock yet, but Edward felt completely awake. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the floor chilly on his feet compared to the warmth under his sheets.

Edward glanced over his shoulder at his sleeping wife. She was still fast sleep, her hair spilling around her, obscuring parts of her face and fanning across the pillow. Ed allowed his eyes to lazily run over her figure. Even disguised in blankets, he could discern her slim waist, the curve of her hip, her long legs. He allowed his eyes to linger particularly long on her stomach. There was no bump – she wasn’t showing yet. It was too early. Yet somehow knowing that their child was growing under layers of her skin and muscle made Edward feel positively giddy. 

This was his wife. His pregnant wife. Edward’s heart skipped a beat and his stomach turned over inside him. He knew most first time fathers were nervous about the prospect of a child, and Edward suspected that would come, but all he could feel right now was pure excitement. They had achieved what that alchemy never could. It was a miracle science had yet to explain. Together, he and Winry had created life. 

Edward resisted the urge to wake Winry up, wanting to share his excitement with her. It would be pointless after all; Winry knew exactly how excited he was because she too was unbelievably excited. Just last night, they had stayed up longer than they should have talking about what he – or she – would look like, what names they liked, who the godparents would be. Winry insisted that it was a boy. Every time she dreamed about the child, she would dream of a boy with light blonde hair and gold eyes. Edward wondered if she was dreaming about their child now.

Edward reached out his hand, hesitating for a moment before lightly brushing hair away from Winry’s face. Her expression was peaceful, not giving any clues to what dreams played out in her mind. Ed sighed and turned back to his side of the bed, standing gently so he didn’t jostle his wife. 

Edward approached the window, stretching his arms out above him and looked down into the street below. It was deserted, given the time of day. He could hear birds chirping, enjoying the newly warm weather, and distant sounds of the city waking up. Train cars running, occasional car engines, bakeries and coffee shops opening. He and Winry had lived in Central long enough now to become used to the sounds of a city again, although he appreciated the relatively quiet neighbourhood he lived in. When this condo had opened up, conveniently right next door to Gracia and Elicia Hughes, Winry had been quick to insist that they relocate from the countryside. It had been hard to leave Pinako, but it was time for the young couple to spread their wings. Being so close to Mrs. Hughes, as well as in the same city as Roy and Riza, made the move much easier. Even though Edward had initially insisted being in the same city as Mustang would be a pain, he was secretly thankful. Roy had also been able to set him up with a job in the still fairly new democratic government.

Roy and Riza frequently visited with their dog Black Hayate, and Edward and Winry frequently visited Mrs. Hughes and Elisia. Mrs. Hughes insisted that the young couple coming over at least once a week for dinner. Edward didn’t take much convincing at all really, happy to partake in Mrs. Hughes’ wonderful cooking, particularly the quiche. She always sent them home with the leftovers, which Winry was very thankful for, as neither she nor Edward were particularly proficient cooks.

Ed did, however, know how to scramble eggs and cook bacon, so he drew the blinds closed so the sunlight wouldn’t wake Winry, grabbed a plain white t-shirt from the dresser, and went to the kitchen. He nearly tripped over a cord on the ground as he went down the hallway. The stupid phone cord… Edward thought, as he stepped over it. The last time Roy and Riza had visited, Black Hayate had ripped the cord out of its socket and chewed it to bits. Edward had yet to replace it.

He took his time making breakfast, cooking enough for Winry as well and putting it in the oven to stay warm. She didn’t need to be up for at least another hour, and although they usually ate breakfast together, Edward was too hungry to wait for her. On a normal day, they would wake up together, wash up, and eat breakfast at the small breakfast nook in kitchen. Edward would walk Winry to work at her automail shop not far away before catching a train to work himself.

Winry had opened her very own automail shop when they had moved to central, with the help of her friends from Rush Valley. It was just a small shop, nothing too fancy, but it was exactly the way Winry wanted it. The shop catered to all kinds of customers, but retained the country charm of knowing each and every customer personally. 

Winry had even taken on an apprentice recently, a young man by the name of Luther. He was new to the world of automail, but good with his hands and a quick learner. It was just as well that she got some help before the baby was born. Luther, under the supervision of Pinako, would be able to run the shop while she was on leave. Pinako would hate coming into the city, but Winry couldn’t think of anyone else she would trust with her shop. 

Edward finished eating, washed the dishes he had used, and poured himself a second cup of coffee. He checked the calendar they had tacked up on the wall, where they were keeping track of Winry’s pregnancy. The couple had agreed to wait until Winry was at least twelve weeks pregnant to tell their family and friends about the baby, just in case, but Edward had insisted on telling Alphonse. Alphonse was both his brother and his best friend, after all. Alphonse was, unsurprisingly, ecstatic. He loved kids and couldn’t wait to meet his nephew, or niece. He even suggested that he might want to finally move back to Amestria so that he could be closer to his family.

“Eleven weeks,” muttered Edward. Only one more week until he could tell everyone else. He could hardly wait to see the look on Mrs. Hughes’ face. She was always very encouraging of the couple, and often casually brought up the subject of children. Elicia, now 12, would probably squeal and insist that she be their number one babysitter, which of course she would be. Armstrong would probably shed a few tears, overjoyed at the news. Even Mustang would offer his congratulations, alongside Riza. The couple just had to wait one more week, just in case.

Suddenly, Edward heard a scream coming from the bedroom. Edward jumped at the sound, accidentally dropping his coffee cup. The mug shattered on the ground, liquid pooling around his feet. Edward’s heart pounded in his chest as he threw himself down the hallway, racing to the bedroom. 

Winry was sitting up on the bed, knees brought up to her chest. Her head was in her hands and she was sobbing and screaming. Edward scoured the room, searching for the source of Winry’s distress, but the room was exactly as Edward had left it. Seeing nothing amiss, Edward approached the bed. He took Winry’s face in his hands; her cheeks were soaked with tears. He brought her face up so he could look at her. The expression on her face was one of pure terror.

“Winry! Are you hurt? What hurts?” Edward asked frantically. Winry looked at Ed, seeming unable to speak. Tears poured down her face and she tried to pull away, but Edward wouldn’t let her. “Please, Winry, tell me what’s wrong.”

She opened her mouth, but only a sob escaped. Finally, she lifted up the blankets and threw them to the other side of the bed. 

Edward nearly fell backwards. The bed was drenched with blood, the red standing in stark contrast to the white bed sheets. The red was only spreading outwards, and its source was Winry. Her pajama bottoms and parts of her shirt were soaked in the red liquid. Edward eyes searched for the source of the bleeding, for some sort of injury. Surely this couldn’t be her monthly period, women didn’t bleed that much, did they? And a period would definitely not put Winry in this state.

“Winry, what is going on?” Edward asked urgently, his panic growing. He knew all about the human body, he knew exactly what made up a human. He knew how much blood there was in the average human. Yet seeing this blood spilled across the sheets seemed impossible. How could this much blood come from one person?

Winry refused to answer the question, only sobbing louder She buried her face in her hands again. Edward’s mind went back to the calendar. One more week they were waiting to tell people, just in case. Just in case… of a miscarriage. Edward felt like he has been hit with a ton of bricks. He suddenly felt very sick.

“Oh Winry…” Edward said. He sat down on the bed next to her, pulling his grief stricken wife onto his lap. His white shirt and blue boxers were immediately coloured red, but he didn’t care. Winry pushed her face into his shoulder wrapping her arms around his neck. Tears soaked his collar as blood soaked into his hem. Only one more week, and they would have been in the safe zone. Only one more week and they would have started to tell everyone. 

Grief began to fill every part of him, spreading out from his heart to his stomach, and his hands, and his knees. The excitement he had felt only moments ago was burned out. It was replaced with sorrow. There was pressure behind his eyes, but he blinked back the tears. He needed to focus on Winry right now.

“E-E-Ed… I’m so s-so so-r-r-ry,” Winry sobbed, her voice small against his neck. She sounded so fragile. 

“Winry, this isn’t your fault.” Edward said immediately. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. We’re going to be okay.” Edward said, pulling her closer. “We’re going to be okay.” Edward repeated, alternating between rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head. Still Winry sobbed, inconsolable. 

Edward finally had to remove her from his lap, his concern for her physical health overwhelming his concern for her emotional. He laid her back down gently on the bed, covering her with the blankets. “I’ll be right back. I need to call a doctor for you. Okay?” Winry didn’t reply. Edward pushed some hair out her face. “I’m going to go call a doctor, okay?” Edward said again, pointlessly. He didn’t want to leave her, but he had to.

Edward hurried from the room and picked up the phone… and cursed himself. There was no dial tone. Edward’s eyes followed the chewed cord laying on the floor in the hallway. He was an idiot; he should have got it fixed right away. Edward slammed the phone back down into its cradle.

“Think, Elric, think…” Ed whispered to himself. Edward went back to the bedroom and told Winry he would be right back, and then raced out the door and down the hall. He knocked on the Hughes’ door, praying that they were home. He couldn’t remember what time it was. Would Mrs. Hughes already be taking Elicia to school?

Thankfully, after a moment, Mrs. Hughes answered the door, her usually calm expression quickly turning shock. “Edward! What is going on?!” Mrs. Hughes said in alarm. Edward followed her gaze and realized that his clothes were covered in his wife’s blood. He looked like he something out of a horror movie. He wasn’t silently glad that Elicia hadn’t answered the door.

“I… I need to use your phone.” Edward stuttered. He realized he needed to give a better explanation and opened his mouth to give one but instead just repeated it, “I… I… I need to use your phone. Please.” He couldn’t stop staring at all the blood on him. He wondered again how this much blood could come from one person. 

“Are you hurt?” Mrs. Hughes asked. 

“Not me…” Edward said. “Winry.”

“Edward, I need you to be more specific please.” Mrs. Hughes said, putting her arm around his back and gently pushing him inside. Edward couldn’t feel his feet even though he knew he was moving forward.

“She’s… she’s having…” Edward could hardly choke out the word. “She’s having a miscarriage, Mrs. Hughes.” Edward finally said. “I need to call a doctor.”

“Oh… oh my.” Mrs. Hughes said, her hand moving up to cover her mouth in shock. “I… I didn’t know you two were expecting.”

“We didn’t want to tell anyone yet just in case of…” In case of exactly this.

“It’s okay. I can call the doctor, so you can head back to Winry.” Mrs. Hughes said, turning to the phone on the table in the entranceway, and picking up the receiver. Edward didn’t move, couldn’t move. His feet felt too heavy. “Edward?”

“I don’t know what to do,” Edward’s voice broke. “She won’t stop crying and bleeding and crying.” Edward said, completely distraught. He touched the blood on his shirt with one hand. It was still so warm and wet.

“Okay, how about this,” Mrs. Hughes handed Edward the receiver. “You call the doctor, and I’ll head over to your place to see what I can do.” Gracia said calmly. Years of motherhood had taught her how to keep her voice even, despite traumatic circumstances. Edward nodded vaguely, taking the phone from her.

Mrs. Hughes went quickly to Elicia’s room to tell her where she was going, and then she left, shutting the door behind her. Edward quickly called the doctor, told him what had happened, requesting that he come see Winry as soon as possible. The doctor said that if she was indeed having a miscarriage, heavy bleeding was normal and there was probably not much he could do to stop it. Nevertheless, he agreed to come see her. Edward hung up the phone and took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. He steeled himself, trying to force his emotions away for now. Once he felt ready, he headed back to his own condo. 

Edward found Mrs. Hughes in the bedroom, rubber gloves on her hands, scrubbing a bloodstain in the mattress. Soiled red sheets were piled in the corner of the room along with Winry’s blood soaked pajamas. Mrs. Hughes stopped scrubbing when she saw Edward approach. 

“Winry’s in the shower. I got as much of the stain out as I could, but I think we should still flip the mattress. Can you help me out, Edward?” Mrs. Hughes said, taking off the gloves and setting her sponge aside. Edward nodded; taking one side to helped her flip the mattress over. They redressed the bed in clean sheets, including a rubber cover Mrs. Hughes had found in the closet. “You should change into clean clothes before Winry is finished. Just add them to the pile, I’ll wash them a little later, okay?”

“Thank-you, Mrs. Hughes.” Edward said. “Really, thank-you.”

Mrs. Hughes smiled. “I’ll be in the kitchen making tea. You should go check on Winry once you’re finished changing. There are some clean clothes for her on the night stand.” 

After Mrs. Hughes left, Edward hurriedly stripped off the bloody clothes, and searched his drawers for some dark coloured clothes. If there was to be more blood, it would be harder to see on darker clothing. He pulled on black tank top and some comfortable black pants over a fresh pair of boxer shorts. He grabbed the clean clothes from the nightstand, also dark coloured, and then taking a deep breath, opened the door to their en suite bathroom.

“Winry?” Edward said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. “It’s me, Ed,” he said. There was no answer. Steam filled the room, leaving the mirror fogged and the air thick. Edward put the clothes down on the sink and moved the shower curtain aside. Winry was sitting naked in the tub, water cascading down over her. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, chin resting on them. The water flowing past her to the drain was tinged pink from blood. Even though it was impossible to tell because of the water pouring from the shower, Ed knew that she was crying.

Edward took off his shirt and bottoms, and climbed into shower with her. He helped Winry stand up, and then washed her hair and her body slowly and methodically. There was nothing sexual in the act despite their nakedness. Once he was finished, he helped her climb out of the tub. She said on the toilet lid while Ed dried her off, dressed her in the clean clothes, something to absorb any additional blood, and braided her hair off so that it was off her face. 

“Are you okay to walk? Or do you want me to carry you?” Edward said.

“I can walk.” Winry stood up, stumbling slightly. She was dizzy from losing so much blood. Edward caught her and put an arm around her waist, helping her back into bed. 

Once she was comfortable, Edward retrieved his clothes from the bathroom and redressed before kneeling beside the bed.

“Does it hurt?” Edward asked.

Winry nodded. “It feels like cramps…” She said, putting her hand over her abdomen. Edward put his hand on her abdomen as well, lightly rubbing her stomach.

“I’ll warm up the bean bag for you, okay?” Edward said. Winry nodded again, the motion causing tears that had been caught in the corners of her eyes to fall. Edward wiped them away gently, then kissed her on the forehead and promised he would be back soon. 

“How is she?” Mrs. Hughes inquired when Edward entered the kitchen. Edward noticed that the mug he had dropped earlier that morning had been cleaned up, and the dishes from breakfast washed. He suspected if he looked in the oven, he would find Winry’s breakfast cleaned up as well. On the counter was a tray with tea, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a bowl of fruit and yogurt.

“I think she’s okay.” Edward said. “Or she will be.” Mrs. Hughes offered him a mug of tea. Edward gratefully took it, blowing the steam off the top before taking a small sip.

“She’s strong. I know she’ll make it through this.” Mrs. Hughes said. She set her own mug down on the counter gently. “I’ve never really told anyone this, but Maes and I suffered several miscarriages before we conceived Elicia.” Mrs. Hughes said. Edward’s eyes widened with shock.

“It’s an awful thing that a lot of women experience, yet often don’t talk about. But we should talk about it, so we can get rid of the stigma that a miscarriage is the woman’s fault. It’s not. It happens much more often than people realized and we need to talk about it.” Mrs. Hughes continued. “I’ve never told anyone before. Only Maes and my doctor knew. But if Winry wants to talk about it… Well, you guys know where to find me. Or if you want to talk about it too.” She smiled shyly, hiding her own grief as she took another sip of her tea.

Edward only nodded, unsure of what to say. His thoughts were racing. How common were miscarriages? How many women did he know that had suffered through this in silence? He wondered about his own mother. Had she ever had a miscarriage before conceiving him and his brother?

“Thank-you, Mrs. Hughes. Seriously. I think hearing that might really help her.” Edward finally said. 

“Well, I need to bring Elicia to school.” Mrs. Hughes said. Edward checked the time. It was nearly eight o’clock, which is when school started. Elicia would probably be late. Edward sent Mrs. Hughes a look of apology. “Don’t worry about it. Elicia’s so scatter-brained; we’re late half the time anyways. Nothing is amiss.” Mrs. Hughes smiled. “I’ll be in the condo most of the day, but if I’m not and you need anything, need to use the phone, don’t hesitate to use the key I gave you.” 

“Thanks again.” Edward said as they headed to the door. 

“It’s nothing, Edward.” Mrs. Hughes promised to check in again around lunchtime, then left.

Edward shut the door, and sighed, and resting his head against the cool wood. He needed to call in sick to work, and to call Luther so he could cancel or reschedule any of Winry’s appointments with clients. He waited until he could hear Mrs. Hughes and Elicia leaving, then grabbed the key for their condo let himself inside. He made the necessary calls, citing illness as his excuse for both himself and Winry. When he had finished, he returned to his own condo.

Edward went to the bedroom where Winry lay awake in the bed. “I… I need to go to work.” She said slowly, although she made no motion to get up. She was completely a work-a-holic, thinking about the shop at a time like this. Edward set the tray he had grabbed from the kitchen down on the dresser.

Ed shook his head, and climbed into bed next to his wife. He pulled her body against his and nestled his face in her hair. “Not today, babe.” He whispered quietly. She cuddled closer to him, lacing her fingers through the hand secured around her. Edward could feel her body shaking with shallow sobs, and for the first time that morning, Edward didn’t hold his own tears back. They fell freely down his face, soaking Winry’s hair.

“We’re going to be okay. I promise.” He said, and they fell asleep waiting for the doctor to arrive.

**Author's Note:**

> This was so sad for me to write! But inspiration struck and it could not be ignored.
> 
> I had a friend recently suffered a miscarriage and it was awful, she blamed herself. But as she and her husband began to tell people, more and more women came forward saying that they had been through something similar. I'm not talking 1-2 women, I'm talking 8-9. And when I asked my own mom about it, she admitted that she herself had more that one miscarriage.
> 
> It turns out 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage (eek!) and no one talks about it (which is understandable). But I think it's important for women to support one another so that they know it's not their fault.
> 
> Also, although this works fine as a one-shot fic, I actually do have a whole story imagined out surrounding this... I'm just not sure I want to post any of my other ideas >.> Comments will likely be my main motivator for future writing, so comment!!
> 
> Also... my first write of this was really short but it more than doubled in length when I "edited" it haha...
> 
> Okay that's probably enough notes!! Please comment and tell me what you think!!
> 
> -Sarah


End file.
